Tier 1 — the other Taylor Fork analog. Off Hwy 298 south of Big Timber. Past Natural Bridge Falls the road pushes ~25 mi deep into the Absaroka-Beartooth front — many dispersed spots on Forest Service land along the road and river, interspersed with a few private inholdings and half a dozen small developed campgrounds. Rutted and slow; plan to crawl. Blue-ribbon fishing (native Yellowstone cutthroat) the whole length. No camping at the Natural Bridge site itself.
Bear country: food-storage order in effect — hard-sided vehicle or bear box. Watch for private inholdings; camp only on FS land.
Before you go: check road/fire alerts (Custer Gallatin) and download offline maps — cell dies past the highway.
- Overview: montanahikes.com
- Scenic drive: bigskyfishing.com
- Exact pin — Natural Bridge, start of corridor (source): maps.google.com